News Walt Disney World to resume sales of Annual Passes (New sales resume April 20, 2023)

[Minthorne]

I’m surprised that DVC wouldn’t want a better AP discount for Blue Card membership to use as a selling point.

What exactly is the value of buying direct anymore?

I’m feeling like they will open the sales and let all the eager folks buy then DVc will negotiate a discounted AP at a later date to use as a carrot/wiener to entice new members.

 

[LAKid53]

I’m surprised that DVC wouldn’t want a better AP discount for Blue Card membership to use as a selling point.

What exactly is the value of buying direct anymore?

I’m feeling like they will open the sales and let all the eager folks buy then DVc will negotiate a discounted AP at a later date to use as a carrot/wiener to entice new members.

Haven't they now limited which non-home resorts you can use your resale points at?

 

[Minthorne]

Haven't they now limited which non-home resorts you can use your resale points at?

Only for Riviera. If you buy resale there you can only use them there. For resale at any other resort, you can use them anywhere except Rivera.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I am so disappointed in you.

Turn in your “Chapek haters club card”.

In due time

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Haven't they now limited which non-home resorts you can use your resale points at?

At riviera…you gotta be a fool to touch that

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Probably more of a replacement for Tables in Wonderland which probably won’t return.

They’ve said Dinning plans will return

Tables was great…it would have saved me $35 20 minutes ago…but I took my $16 and slunk away like a dog

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Its probably going to move guests away from going 2 -3 small holidays/vacation to one large one every 2 years. Disney wants a big splurge every one every 3 years.

…they won’t be the boss of me!!!

i’ll go a week 3x a years and they’ll like it!!

…wait…what happened?

 

[tecowdw]

Looking at block out dates for gold equivalent, it appears they’re blocking out thanksgiving and end of December, but not spring break in April? Currently gold pass has thanksgiving available, but not April break.

The blockout dates during Thanksgiving seems like it could be a big deal for many - especially DVC owners. I had upgraded my gold pass to a platinum pass in 2019 so my renewal this year was around $800+ last month. Now for me to have no blockout dates, it will run me $300+ more for the Incredi-pass renewal. That's alot considering it just feels like Disney has taken away so much after the the pandemic became the catalyst for Disney Parks changing the way they do business.

I suspect alot of guests and passholders are feeling the take-take-take (including restrictions) with very little equivalent give by Disney. Are they reaching the price point that materially hurts their US parks? Getting close, I think. Universal doesn't seem to be doing so much take/restrictions so I have no doubt they will capture some significant market share over the next couple years.

 

[Minthorne]

The blockout dates during Thanksgiving seems like it could be a big deal for many - especially DVC owners. I had upgraded my gold pass to a platinum pass in 2019 so my renewal this year was around $800+ last month. Now for me to have no blockout dates, it will run me $300+ more for the Incredi-pass renewal. That's alot considering it just feels like Disney has taken away so much after the the pandemic became the catalyst for Disney Parks changing the way they do business.

I suspect alot of guests and passholders are feeling the take-take-take (including restrictions) with very little equivalent give by Disney. Are they reaching the price point that materially hurts their US parks? Getting close, I think. Universal doesn't seem to be doing so much take/restrictions so I have no doubt they will capture some significant market share over the next couple years.

I’m honestly thinking that after my gold pass expires in January Ill try staying at SSR where I own most of my points and taking rideshare to Universal with an AP there. I feel it will be cheaper, and faster to the parks then Disney Buses. Use the DVC room but spend my vacation money elsewhere for awhile.

DVC occupancy does not help the Disney Parks bottom line if you don’t spend money at their parks or stores.

 

[tecowdw]

I’m guilty of this too.

Everyone complains about the price increases and decreased offerings and service, but then go ahead and buy a pass or renewal.

Until that behavior changes, we get what we deserve.

Here - here!
And I will also be one of those people!
Just like I put up with the poor customer service at fast food but keep on going back!

 

[doctornick]

I’m surprised that DVC wouldn’t want a better AP discount for Blue Card membership to use as a selling point.

What exactly is the value of buying direct anymore?

I’m feeling like they will open the sales and let all the eager folks buy then DVc will negotiate a discounted AP at a later date to use as a carrot/wiener to entice new members.

I’m not sure the AP discount was really that much a driver. How many new DVC owners are going to the parks multiple times a year?

plus blue card will still be able to get the gold pass equivalent which (if you don’t need the platinum dates) is a cost savings over the platinum equivalent.

 

[tecowdw]

Wow! You got an email? How much does that add on option cost? I haven’t gotten an email from Passholder services in YEARS - not even in my spam folder. Might be worth the add on if I start getting emails again.

I never get the mailed magnets but do get the emails.

 

[LAKid53]

I’m not sure the AP discount was really that much a driver. How many new DVC owners are going to the parks multiple times a year?

plus blue card will still be able to get the gold pass equivalent which (if you don’t need the platinum dates) is a cost savings over the platinum equivalent.

I must be atypical then as I visited several times a year, pre-COVID

 

[monorail81]

I never get the mailed magnets but do get the emails.

We didn’t get the Orange Bird magnets and those are the ones my husband really wanted.

 

[doctornick]

I must be atypical then as I visited several times a year, pre-COVID

I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but I don’t think it’s so common that it would make a big difference in sales of DVC. Dining and merch discounts are likely more of an impact for more potential buyers.

I think you can get a skewed view of things on these boards where there are probably more die hard fans that are frequent visitors.

 

[tecowdw]

View attachment 583550

 

[tecowdw]

While I get that, it would be nice if the new names had some sense of hierarchy. For example, just make them all Pirate themed and do something like scallawag, crewman, captain, admiral (these are just off the top of my head;someone could surely do better). These names are completely irrelevant to the value of each pass

Hey, hey now. There are executives that get paid big salaries to come up with these new names.
And we peasants are questioning them? lol

 

[tecowdw]

They care....enough. APs are great for filling in slower times of the year. Making some money is better than maling no money. The thing is they want to be able to push APs put of the say when its busy and the hotels are full. The way the lower tier passes are set up reflect that imho. If you want to just show up whenever you want you need to pay for it. Otherwise you need to work around the mouses schedule.

Well said, sir!!

 

[wutisgood]

I think it’s cute that some folks suggested that Genie+ might be included with APs. Disney would be dumb to do so and honestly would **** off all of us “regular” guests - APs already get discounted entry and are often able to go more regularly than most guests; giving them front of the line access on top of that seems horribly to the one in a lifetime or infrequent guest selling out thousands of dollars for their few days in the parks trying to do as much as possible.

If APs got some sort of Genie+ benefit included, I feel like they have to give resort guests it as well. And that would erode the entire point of charging extra.

Or maybe at least the upper tiers that cost $900 plus tax and up should get it because its a joke to charge someone $15 a day after they spent that much and it would be pretty standard to have that type of perk in the industry.

I thought Disney was intentionally making prices worse in a lot of areas to pump up the "value" of DVC so I am pretty surprised at the price hike on that. A lot of people I know don't even have enough time off in a year to have the passes make any sense. Maybe disney feels that they have locked enough people into DVC that now they gave moved on to the phase of extracting more money from those people too. It grinds my gears that the only way to get a disney annual pass is to pay for one that includes the perk of being able to go without blockout dates which mean nothing when you intentionally avoid peak times.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

You and me both. Guess i will come on back when i can spend 10k on my Disney vacations.
[/QUOTE]
…that’s the spirit
Vive the NYSE!!!